National Post from Toronto, Ontario, Canada • 29

FINANCIAL POST CI MONDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1999 LONDON DOW JONES ALBERTA MONTREAL TSE300 VANCOUVER TOKYO CANADIAN NASDAQ GOLD OIL LAST WEEK'S NUMBERS IN REVIEW 3 2.5 3.0 04 2.8 September 27 to October 1,1999 0.6 5970.7 1.7 2853.74 5.0 $35.90 17712.56 67.75tUS $24-54US 6931.34 10273.00 2736.85 1282.81 3678.97 420.31 DaimlerChrysler trapped between CAW, Magna TUESDAY STRIKE DEADLINE -1115 ''QOferjvX fid! ii 't2LV 4 -k By David Steinhart DaimlerChrysler Canada will not force its major supplier, Magna International Inc. to recognize a union drive at its In-tegram seat plant in Windsor, the automaker said Sunday. But Buzz Hargrove, president of the Canadian Auto Workers union, vowed to shut down the automaker's Canadian operations at midnight Tuesday unless DaimlerChrysler gets Magna to recognize the union's right to organize. "Magna is going to have to learn to like us whether it likes it or not," he said. "We had a tough meeting Sunday, and the company has not changed its position with respect to Magna." Othmar Stein, a DaimlerChrysler spokesman said the carmaker can't get between the union and Magna.

"We can't sacrifice our major contracts and Magna is one of our major suppliers," said Mr. Stein. "And we can't dictate to a company to change its policies on unions. This is workplace democracy." Mr. Hargrove called that view unacceptable.

The CAW claims that over 50 of workers at Integram have signed union cards and want to join. The union believes DaimlerChrysler should use its influence on Magna to get the Integram work moved in-house or to another supplier. Frank Stronach, Magna's founder told Bloomberg News last week that hell recognize the union at Integram if most workers opt for it. However, he said he didn't believe employees had done so and still feels Magna and its workers are better off without unions. See MAGNA on Page C6 FEDERAL RESERVE PETER REDMAN NATIONAL POST Jon Hussman, left, chief executive of Playdium Entertainment Corp.

teams up with movie director Rupert Wainwright to make two new TV commercials, to be shot on location on a Toronto rooftop. TODAY'S BUSINESS Toronto-based games centre company hires a veteran Hollywood director for its latest series of TV commercials Playdium ads take you inside the game tines blur between Sears and Eaton's fcl 'f mm, wf FIVE STORES MAKE SWITCH Rod McQueen He's been chief executive of Geac for just five months, but Doug Bergeron, above, already has five acquisitions under his belt. Page C3 next month in the city's downtown. Although Playdium won't say how much the commercials are costing, the ad effort represents big bucks. With Michael Jackson videos and the $30-million Stigmata release under his belt, the 10-year veteran doesn't come cheap, and brings with him a gargantuan 90-member cast and crew.

The three-day shoot, most of which was done this past weekend, recreates the "game experience" a Playdium visitor will have at one of the company's locations. The spots put the viewer in the hero's perspective, chasing a briefcase-wielding criminal through a crowded hotel and appearing to meet a messy end. In one, a Brink's truck is set to run over the policeman and in the other he falls off the building. Both will end with "Continue Game Both spots are intended to be filmed as one continuous shot and involve the camera smashing through windows and running up a fire escape. See PLAYDIUM on Page C6 By Paul Brent The Hollywood-sized hangovers from last month's Toronto Film Festival have finally faded, but Stigmata director Rupert Wainwright has returned to Hollywood North to get back behind the camera lens.

This time, the versatile director is in town to shoot two television commercials for Playdium Entertainment Corp. Although the Toronto-based game centre company describes Mr. Wainwright's hiring as a coup, the British film-maker does not view his latest project as slumming. "I love doing commercials, I love it," he said, sipping on a cup of tea to try to warm up after spending a couple of hours Friday on the rooftop of a Toronto office building. The windswept 15-storey location will provide the climactic scene for one of Playdi-um's TV spots being filmed to promote its latest and largest game centre, set to open JobShark attack Internet recruitment service JobShark is hunting for deals in European waters.

Page C3 SETTO HOLD KEY MEETING ON U.S. INTERESTRATES By Luiza Chwialkowska The U.S. Federal Reserve Board's open market committee will begin October historically a perilous month for stocks with a meeting tomorrow in Washington at which it could decide to raise interest rates to slow the longest U.S. expansion since the Second World War. The Fed increased interest rates by a quarter of a point to 5.25 on August 24, the second such increase this summer, but has not fully undone the 0.75 of a point easing it undertook at this time last year in an effort to prevent an economic crisis in Asia from derailing U.S.

growth. At stake is growth so robust it has driven U.S. unemployment down to 4.2 in August, a 29- Patrick Allossery David Ogilvy, who died earlier this year, was a true colossus of the advertising industry. PageC4 By Zena Olijnyk Five T. Eaton Co.

Ltd. stores started the week under the management of Sears Canada creating the "unusual situation" of a few stores under the Eaton's banner selling merchandise at regular price, while the rest of the troubled chain continues its liquidation sale. But industry observers say Sears' desire to take over the five locations stems from its strategy of ensuring access to $400-mil-lion in Eaton's tax losses. "Sure, there is the risk of customers being confused that some Eaton's stores are selling merchandise at regular price, while others have goods of up to 70 off," said George Hartman, analyst at Dundee Securities Corp. "But that's a risk Sears feels it has to take." The five Eaton's locations Sears is taking over are part of a $50-million deal to buy the Eaton's corporate entity.

They are: St. Vital Centre in Winnipeg, Galeries La Capitale in Quebec City, Sher-way Gardens in Toronto, West-mount Shopping Centre in London, and Brentwood Mall in Burnaby, B.C. Another three Eaton's stores (Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Scarborough Town Y2K fears delay the lauch of Excite InternetportalinCanada EricCline Saskatchewan's economic growth has been no mirage. Page C7 From geek to guru MP3.com's Michael Robertson is changing the way we listen to music. Page C8 year low, and has increased the median family income to $46,737 in 1998 front $45,262 (all figures in U.S.

dollars) the previous year. The U.S. Census Bureau report KICKOFFNOWFEB.l Excite.ca will provide Canadian news, sports, weather and other information from its own facilities but will also rely on information from ExciteHome's U.S. facilities. Rogers Media and Ex-citeHome each own 50 of Excite.ca.

Rogers also owns a 38 stake in Home Network Canada, which provides proprietary content for Internet users who have highspeed cable modems. The other owners of Home Network Canada are cable-TV operators. In the U.S., the Excite brand a narrowband product and the Home brand a broadband product are managed by a single company, ExciteIIome. See EXCITE on Page C6 Special Report Telecom: Section INDEX ed on Thursday that rising incomes pulled 1.1-million Americans out of poverty, reducing the number below the poverty line to the lowest level since 1989. Rogers Communications Inc.

of Toronto, said Excite.ca will not launch this fall as intended because of an edict by ExciteHome forbidding the introduction of new software code or applications until early next year. "We will not have full launch until Feb. 1, and the main reason for that is that we have got caught in the 'no new code' launch. They want to be sure there are no Y2K issues. It's quite consistent with what a lot of firms are doing," Mr.

Segal said. Other data in recent weeks has shown evidence of strong con By David Akin The launch of the Canadian version of the Excite Internet portal has been delayed until February so the U.S. operator ofExcite.com can fix any millennium bug problems that might crop up before the end of the year. Brian Segal, chief executive of Rogers Media a division of ABELSON C8 FP INDEXES OO sumer spending, tight labour Centre, and the Halifax Shopping Centre) are also part of the deal, but would continue to be run by Eaton's liquidators as bargain outlets until they are closed and reopened under the Sears banner. See SEARS on Page C6 markets, and strong manufactur ALLOSSERY C4 INVESTINGCHX12 BARRON'S C11 MARKETING C4 COMMENT C7 PERSPECTIVE C16 EARNINGS CIO U.S.

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